A Winter Paradise
by Ferret mage
Summary: It was hot in that city, so hot that most people couldn't bare it. The heat was enough to dry out your skin and suck the moisture out of you. But Sakura wouldn't leave her home, she wouldn't leave Tomoyo, she'd rather die first.


**Author's Notes: **For those of you who don't know is this was actually a Twighlight Zone episode, and the best one in my opinion.

It is about to women living in a New York apartment, the city outside has been growing increasingly hotter and hotter until it drives most people out.

So I decided to join CCs with this episode to create this fic here, note that not all the lines and some of the plot is different from the episode. I just wanted to add my own little flare to it...

Enjoy...

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"Today's weather forcast...hot...hot all day long."

Sakura sighed to herself and wiped the sweat from her brow, she turned off the radio and once again started on her painting.

She could feel the heat building up in the room minute by minute, but there was nothing she could do about it, the power had been cut from the apartment and the AC wouldn't work.

She picked up the glass off the table and brought the semi warm water to her lips, oh how she wished to herself that the water could be cooler.

But nay, all the ice had melted in only a few minutes.

She put the glass back onto the table and sighed once more, she moved her brush up and down the canvas as she mixed the paints together.

Sakura looked out the window to see the sun still high up in the sky, it beat down onto the city with it's unrelenting rays, the heat never letting up.

It had been like this for weeks now, the sun seemed brighter and hotter, the days were longer and the nights were shorter, and it seemed that this heat wave would last forever.

The scientists couldn't explain, the politicians couldn't explain it, the enviromentalists couldn't explain it.

All that was know was that this heat wave was killing people, most people from the southern areas had moved farther up north as it was cooler.

But now, even New York City had fallen pray to the heat wave, the concrete jungle had turned into a concrete desert.

Water couldn't be left out in the sun for more than an hour without drying up, hundreds had flocked from their homes to live even farther up north.

But their were still the small remenant of people who had refused to leave their homes, they decided that they would weather the heat and just hope that it would end.

Sakura was one of those people.

She had lived in that apartment for almost 10 years now, their was no way that she would let a little heat wave force her out, but now she was beginning to regret that decision.

Suddenly their came a knock at the door, Sakura put down her brush and made her way to the door, she opened it to reveal her dear friend and neighbor Tomoyo.

Tomoyo looked just like Sakura did, sweat was running down her face and arms, she wore on her a light pink nightgown that hung weakly from her frame.

Sakura suddenly became aware that she too was wearing a loose fitting nightgown, it had become far too hot to wear normal clothes.

Of course the nightgown hadn't always hung so loosely from her body, but this heat had put such a strain on her that she loosing weight rapidly, in fact she could see the bones in her arms.

"How are you doing Tomoyo..." Sakura asked her friend weakly, Tomoyo nodded and wiped the sweat off her face.

"I'm fine Sakura..." Tomoyo walked into the room and sat down in a chair, "How is the heat affecting you?"

Sakura could only shake her head feebely and went back to her painting, it was much to hot for long winded conversations.

Thus the day went on, Sakura painted on her large canvas while Tomoyo just sat and thought to herself, their was no need to go to work now that most people had left.

Besides, there was no point in working now that the end was coming near, although Sakura and Tomoyo still held out that everything would be okay, most people claimed that this was the end of the world.

Yes the world itself was seemingly coming to an end, all morality and ethics had been dropped now that there was no law, water had become more precious than gold.

Men killed men, battles were fought and gangs waged war across the cities, all of it was fought for nothing more than a small glass of water.

Sakura looked out the window to see the sun descending below the horizon, she then looked over at the clock and nearly choked.

3:00.......A.M.

Each day the sun would drop later and later in the day, soon the night would only last for a couple hours, each day the night would grow shorter and the days would be longer.

_Week 2_

Suddenly Sakura's eyes shot open and looked around frantically, she could see the sunlight shining through the window, the night was over and the sun was back again to torture her.

She rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes looked around the apartment, Tomoyo must have left at nightfall and gone back to her own apartment.

Sakura weakly stood up and wobbled over to the nearst wall, the heat was making her dizzy and she could barely hold herself up now.

She wiped the sweat off her forehead and walked over to Tomoyo's apartment, she knocked three times and then three time more.

But Tomoyo didn't answer...

Sakura began to sweat even more as she wondered why her friend wasn't answering, she pushed open the door and peered inside the apartment that was sweltering with heat.

But she gasped when she saw her life long friend sprawled across the floor, her breath came out in shallow gasp while the sweat simply poured off her face.

The heat was getting to her...

Sakura lifted her friend off the floor and shook her violently, Tomoyo blinked several times and shook her head while regaining her breath.

Sakura lifted Tomoyo to her feet and walked her over to her apartment, her sweat was dripping off the end of her nose and hitting the hot floor with a loud splash.

Slowly she rested Tomoyo's weak form onto the chair and went to the refrigerator, Tomoyo raised her head weakly and looked over to her friend.

"S-Sakura I-I..." She gasped under her breath, "It was the heat and I...I just..."

Sakura shook her head to signify that she didn't care about what happened, all that she cared was that her friend was okay.

She took the pitcher of water and emptied it into to two glasses, she hand one of the glass to Tomoyo only to have her push it away.

"No Sakura...I can't..." Tomoyo shook her head and refused to take the glass, "It's your water...we have to take care of ourselves now..."

Sakura pushed the glass back into Tomoyo's hand once again, she brought her own glass to her lips and savored the feeling of the water running down her throat.

"No way Tomoyo..." Sakura said after finishing her glass, "We have to take care of each other ..."

Tomoyo could only nod to and take the glass from Sakura, they sat together in silence and listed to the announcer on the radio as he spoke the solemn news.

"Today's weather forecast..."

"...Hot..."

"Expect much of the same for the rest of the week..."

Sakura and Tomoyo looked at each other sadly and gripped the glass, they felt like crying although they were afraid that the heat would only dry up their tears.

Suddenly the AC broke down, the cool air that once circulated through the room had stopped, their sweat began to break out even more.

Tomoyo's expression grew despondent as she looked at the inactive machine, she could already feel the heat in the room growing.

"Heh, they must of cut the power again..." Sakura laughed and took their glass to the sink, although it had been days since it last worked.

"Without the AC....this place will be an oven..." Tomoyo voice was now reduced to a whisper, "What if...what if...they never turn the power back on..."

Sakura looked at her weakened and friend and then looked down at her feet, she had wondered to herself the same thing.

But now was not the time to be thinking of this despondent thoughts, she had to put on a brave face and weather this deadly heat.

She had to...

Just then Sakura and Tomoyo lifted their faces as they heard footsteps on the floor above, the grew silent as they heard the footsteps moved to the floor.

Sakura jumped up from her seat and rushed to the door, she locked it and pressed her ear against it so as to listen for whoever was up there.

They had a right to be afraid...the bandits and gangster that roamed the city would do anything for a gulp of water, even kill for the smallest of sips.

Suddenly the door heaved forward as whoever it was pushed against, both Sakura and Tomoyo pressed against the door to try and stop the attacker.

"C'mon lady!! Just let me in!!"

Whoever it was sounded like they were desperate, and a desperate man was a dangerous one, Sakura rushed to the cabinet at the far end and pulled out a gun.

"Do you hear that!!" Sakura said referring to the sound of the gun clicking, "That was gun! If you don't get out of here then I'm going to use it!!"

Silence...

"Alright lady..." The man said, she could her his footsteps as he walked down the stair, she walked over to the window and peered out to see if he had left.

But Tomoyo was oblivious to the fact that he may had not left and unlocked the door, suddenly she pushed backwards onto her back as the man bursted into the room.

He was young man with light brown hair, he looked haggard and his skin was burnt from over exposure to the sun.

He held in his hand a pistol and waved it around like a madman, Sakura dropped the gun she held and raised her hands in the air.

The young man gasped for breath in the sweltering aparment and looked over to the fridge, he strode over to it and swung open the door violently to find a pitcher half filled with water.

"That's all you have!!" The man glared at the two women and turned back to the fridge, he grabbed the pitcher and poured the remaining water down his parched throat.

He wiped the wetness from around his mouth and looked back at the girls, they were in the far corner, arms wrapped around each other for protection.

"I'm not really a bad guy..." The man sadly said, it was apparent that insanity was taking it's toll on him, "It's just this heat...the heat is..."

He looked at Sakura and almost immediatly his expression went from angry to sad, he seemed to be lost in thought as he staggered backwards towards the door.

"My wife...she was like you...just a little thing...she couldn't handle this heat..."

The man looked as if he were ready to burst out into tears as he looked at her, his hands were shaking and he could barely hold onto the gun in his hand.

"The baby died...I tried to keep her cool...I tried..." The man sobbed miserably, "My wife...she died soon after..."

After he had finished his pitiful story he threw the glass pitcher down at his feet, it shattered into several pieces and littered the floor.

The man stumbled twice forwards, and then slowly dragged his feet and exited the room, the two girls could hear his consistent sobbing as he left the building.

_Week 3_

Sakura laid there on her bed as she covered her eyes to shut out the glaring sunlight, there had only been an hour of darkness last night and the tempature was hotter than ever.

Sakura uncovered her eyes and squinted in the light to the thermometer, the tempature had been staying at a constent 110 degrees Faherenheit.

She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the pain in her overaly parched throat, she desperatly tried to shut out the sound of her grumbiling stomach.

It had been days since she had something to drink or eat, she could already feel the effects of hunger and thirst begin to plague her mind.

Not to mention that the heat was beginning to play trick on her mind, she would see people and things that weren't really there, she was slowly but surely beginning to go insane.

Sakura wondered how long she could last...at this rate the heat would kill her...

She walked up to the window and looked at the sweltering city, she placed her hand on the window sill only to pull it back once the heated sill burned her delicate fingers.

She stuck her fingers in mouth and took several steps backwards, she looked at her burned fingers and glared at the sun outside, silently she cursed it for becoming a harvanger of death.

Their suddenly came several slow but steady knocks at the door, Sakura walked over the door to once again see her friend and neighbor Tomoyo.

In the past few weeks Tomoyo had stared to look worse and worse, she had gone longer without eating or drinking than Sakura had.

Her nightgown now could barely stay on her limp shoulders, the bones in her ams and face could be seen sticking through her clammy skin, the entire body was covered in sweat.

"S-Sakura..." Tomoyo said as she stumbled into the heated room, "Do...Do you have any water..."

Sakura could only shake her head no and looked over to the AC, she didn't want to tell Tomoyo that the AC hadn't come on in over a week, it would only make her hurt more.

Tomoyo sighed and coughed several times, Sakura winced when she heard the air being forced out of her friend's parched throat, she wished she could give her some water.

Tomoyo stopped coughing and looked at the painting that covered the walls, she winced as she saw what Sakura painted on the canvases.

The sun...

"Sakura...why do you always have to paint the sun..." Tomoyo cried and stood up quickly, "Can't you draw something more colder!!!"

Tomoyo grabbed the painting and threw into the far corner, the sweat from her face flew into every direction and hit the floor with a small spalsh.

The heat was clearly affecting Tomoyo's mind, she ran around the room and pulled the paintings off the wall and tossed them to the floor, Sakura ran up to her and tried to calm her down.

She was almost ready to destroy one more painting until she saw what is was, almost immediatly she calmed down and started giggiling insanely.

She stumbled backwards and covered her mouth to try and smother the giggiling, the giggles soon turned into full out laughter as the heat began to claw at her mind.

The picture...it was...a waterfall...

It was a picture of a beautiful waterfall cascading down into a clear blue pool, around the waterfall was several forms of plants and trees all of which looked so vibrant and alive.

It was so unlike the city that they lived in now, this city was filled with an unbearable heat, this heat was enough to suck the water right out of a person.

"I...I...I used to go to a waterfall like that..." Tomoyo said between fits of laughter, "I used to go there when I was a small child..."

Sakura covered her mouth in suprise as Tomoyo couldn't stop laughing, her neighbor and friend for so many years had finally gone insane, all due to this terrible heat.

Tomoyo moved her sights from the painting to the window, her laughter stopped almost immediatly and she placed her hands on the wall, she looked up at the sun and glared at.

"Damn this heat..." Tomoyo whispered so low that Sakura had to strain to hear, "This isn't how I wanted to end my life."

Sakura could only say nothing as she watched her dear friend stare at the sun, she too could feel the effects of the sun and the heat playing with her mind.

"Damn this sun!!!!" Tomoyo cried as she stumbled backwards, "**_DAMN IT!!!!!_**"

With that one last exclamation Tomoyo feel over onto the floor, her eyes went blank and the steady moving of her chest ceased to be.

That was end of Tomoyo...

"**TOMOYO!!!!**" Sakura cried as she was brought to her knees, she leaned over her life long friend and shook her several times, the death of Tomoyo was the final straw.

Insanity began to plague her mind as she looked around the apartment, she could feel the heat in the apartment growing hotter and hotter.

She licked her dry chapped lips and coughed several times, the pain her parched throat reminded her that the end was coming near.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion now, she looked around the apartment to see that the end was not coming near, the end was here and now.

It just kept getting hotter...

She could see the sweat dripping off the end of her nose...

And hotter.

Her sun dried hands...

And hotter.

The moisture in skin being sucked...

Hotter still...

The mercury in the themometer bursting out the top of the themometer...

Hotter even still...

The last thing she saw was...

The paints running off her canvas...

**Sakura, Wake Up!!!**

Suddenly Sakura's eyes flashed opened and she shot straight up in her bed, she gasped for breath and looked frantically around the room.

Strong and comforting hands were on her shoulders in a instant and pushed her down onto the bed, she looked around once more to see where she was.

Her breath came out large puffs as she...

Puffs??

She drew in her breath sharply when she realized that it was no longer hot, in fact it turned out that instead hot it was quite cold in her apartment.

The people that were in her apartment were oh so familiar faces, Tomoyo and the local doctor, they stood over with concerned looks on their faces.

Sakura became aware that things were much different than before, instead of daylight there was only night, and the heat was replaced with cold.

The doctor pulled a cool rag off her forhead and placed his hand on her head, he nodded and started to pack up his bag of tools.

"Sakura..." Tomoyo said warmly and hugged her sick friend, "You've been in bed for weeks...you were running a very high fever. We almost lost you..."

Sakura was speechless as she looked up to the ceiling, the only thing that ran through her head was silent prayers to God.

Tomoyo lifted herself from her bed ridden friend and walked over to the doctor, her expression went from one of joy to one of solemn grimness.

As she passed the window she looked out to see an entire city covered in snow, she shivered and pulled her coat closer, she wondered to herself...

How long will this cold last??

"Doctor...what do you know about this weather..." Tomoyo asked desperatly, the doctor could only look away so as to not bare the terrible truth to her, but she already knew the answer...

"The...The scientist say that....Earth somehow moved out it's orbit...and...that within...3, 2...weeks...their wouldn't be any sun at all..."

Yet the doctor remained silent...

"Doctor..." Tomoyo could barely speak past the tear welling up in her, "...Were all going to freeze to death...aren't we?"

Still the doctor was silent...

So it went...the doctor left, and Tomoyo was left to care for her best friend, she didn't dare tell her newly awakened friend of the terrible fate that awaited them.

"Isn't it wonderful Tomoyo..." Sakura whispered into her friend's ear, Tomoyo eyes grew wide as she heard her friend's unmindful clamor.

"Isn't it wonderful to have cold and darkness and the winter..."

Tomoyo lifted her gaze upwards and stared off into space, it was apparent that Sakura was truly oblivious to their situation.

She wouldn't know that within the month that all of humanity would cease to be, it was the coming of the Second Ice age and their extinction was imminent.

They would be frozen in time for the rest of eternity, frozen in this world covered in ice and darkness and the winter.

"Yes Sakura..." Tomoyo whispered as the tears slid down her cheeks, "It truly is wonderful, in fact it's a...it's a..."

A paradise....

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**Author's Notes: **Well what did you guys think of this one huh? This was personally my favorite episode of The Twighlight Zone and I just wanted to combine CCS with it. Some of you may think that it was cheap to make a fic about an already made episode but I just wanted to do you so much!!

Well, Tell me what you think!?!


End file.
